Larger Range Rover Evoque XL in the works for a 2016 launch

British SUV maker Land Rover, now owned by Tata Motors, is said to be working on a larger version of the Evoque, called the XL model. Codenamed the L560, the larger Range Rover Evoque is likely to be launched in 2016, and will sit between the current Evoque crossover and the Range Rover Sport SUV, in terms of price and positioning. 

Note: Range Rover Evoque Crossover used in this report is illustrative in nature. 

The larger version of the Evoque Crossover will be based on a spin off of the new, all aluminum  iQ[Al] platform that Land Rover's sister brand, Jaguar, recently announced. The new platform base will consist of an all-aluminum base, thereby spearheading Jaguar-Land Rover's efforts to decrease weight of its future products.

In that light, expect the Evoque XL to also be a product centered around JLR's weight reduction strategy. The engine line up of of the Evoque XL is likely to be based on the new range of turbo petrol and turbo diesel engines that Jaguar and Land Rover are developing under the "HotFire" line up. 

These engines will replace the current range of Ford EcoBoost turbo petrol engines and the Peugeot derived turbo diesel engines that Jaguar and Land Rover products use. The Evoque is one of the hottest selling products in Land Rover's global line up, so much so that the English SUV maker expanded production at its Halewood production facility to cater to the stiff demand for the Evoque and the Freelander2.

The Evoque XL is also likely to be a global luxury crossover model. Annual projected sales of over 80,000 units for the Evoque XL and predictions of the larger crossover becoming the numero uno profit spinner for Land Rover under the new all-aluminum platform seem to indicate that the crossover could also be sold in emerging markets such as India and China. 

Ever since taking over the iconic British brands Jaguar and Land Rover in 2008, Tata Motors has scripted a spectacular turn around of the two automakers through a product launch offensive. This offensive will continue for the next five years what with Tata Motors deploying a 7.5 billion GBP strong war chest towards new product development for Jaguar-Land Rover.   

Source AutoCar.UK